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What are safe nurse-to-patient ratios?

A nurse-to-patient ratio is the number of nurses working on a ward or unit in relation to the number of patients they care for.

Good nurse-to-patient ratios ensure a safe level of care and decrease the risk of patients dying. Without the right standard of ratios, patients across NSW are missing out on thousands of hours of much needed nursing care.

Ratios save lives

Research shows a direct correlation between nurse staffing levels and improved patient outcomes.

Every additional patient per nurse can increase the likelihood of dying by 7%1.

There aren’t enough nurses to patients and it’s risking lives. Nurses and midwives are worked off their feet. In a 2018 survey of 2,500 nurses and midwives, 67% said they have recently considered leaving the profession due to unsafe workloads.

We need better ratios to safeguard the future of our public health system. The staffing system as it currently stands isn’t transparent enough to deliver safe patient care.

What’s happening in other states?

Victoria and Queensland have made nurse-to-patient ratios law. NSW should be leading, not lagging behind.